Historical Context
Historical context is an important consideration, because we always want to make sure when we are reading God’s word we are interpreting the gospel accurately. If we are not interpreting it accurately, it will cause us to not use God’s biblical message, the correct way. We will assume the message is saying one thing when it is saying something completely different. Understanding what the message is saying also helps us to understand the history surrounding the scripture, and what it means to us today. According to Cartwright & Hulshof, “a commitment to understanding historical context is one of the best ways to honor the biblical past so that it remains relevant to our present.” (137). Some of the key actors related to historical context are;
the author, the audience, and the world the author and audience live in. An example of how historical context aids our understanding of the verse is in the book of Galatians. (Cartwright & Hulshof, 140). When we are looking at the author Paul, we want to gather information, so we can get to know who Paul really is, however we should not put all our focus into getting to know every little detail about Paul, and forget about studying information on the book of Galatians. If we do that then we will miss interpreting the full understanding of Galatians.
the author, the audience, and the world the author and audience live in. An example of how historical context aids our understanding of the verse is in the book of Galatians. (Cartwright & Hulshof, 140). When we are looking at the author Paul, we want to gather information, so we can get to know who Paul really is, however we should not put all our focus into getting to know every little detail about Paul, and forget about studying information on the book of Galatians. If we do that then we will miss interpreting the full understanding of Galatians.